Guatemala Human Rights Commission

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The Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA wishes to publicly applaud the courageous, determined, and indefatigable men, women, and children who participated in the historic Peasant, Indigenous and Popular Movement March from Cobán to Guatemala City.

For nine days, thousands of indigenous and peasant farmers hiked under a brutally unforgiving sun, battling exhaustion, dehydration, and heat stroke. For nine evenings, they slept on cold concrete floors, jammed together in rows like kernels of corn on the cob. They hiked 120 miles through misty rain forest and arid desert to carry their voices to the seat of power: the National Palace in Guatemala City.

With each and every step the marchers took, they further compelled the government to hear their just demands. By the end of the march, their legs were sore and their feet were blistered… but they would not, and they did not, return to their communities empty-handed.

We join our voices with the students, academics, journalists, artists, musicians, union leaders, environmentalists, human rights activists, women’s organizations, and all others who support the marchers in their legitimate and historic struggle. We are humbled by their sacrifice and motivated by their perseverance!

In solidarity with the marchers, the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA declares that:

We stand with the over 800 families of the Polochic Valley who, one year ago, were violently evicted from their homes by the Guatemalan police, military, and private security guards hired by the Chabil Utzaj Sugar Company.

We lament the senseless destruction of their homes, crops, and personal belongings and call on the government to fully comply with all of the Precautionary Measures issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to protect these families at risk.

We mourn the tragic assassinations of community leaders Antonio Beb Ac, Oscar Reyes, and Margarita Che Chub and demand that those responsible be brought to justice.

We recognize that the only permanent solution to the crisis in the Polochic Valley is for the communities to have direct access to land for farming and self-sustenance. Therefore, we urge the Guatemalan government and its institutions to provide a comprehensive proposal that meets the urgent needs of these families.

We welcome the accords signed by President Otto Pérez Molina and members of his administration which came as a direct result of the massive mobilization of the peasant organizations. Among the commitments agreed to by the government:

The creation of a subsidy to alleviate the crushing debt suffered by family farmers and agrarian communities

Compliance with the Polochic precautionary measures and guaranteed access to land for at least 300 families per year

Protection for the Polochic communities from abuses by private security firms or irregular forces employed by the Chabil Utzaj sugar cane company

The promise to address land conflicts in various communities throughout the country, including Santa Maria Xalapán

We expect that these accords will be honored by President Pérez Molina’s administration and implemented in good faith and without delay.

We condemn the gross misuse of state security forces on the day the march arrived at the National Palace. The placement of Kaibil special force soldiers and heavily-armed snipers on the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the central plaza was clearly intended as an act of surveillance and intimidation against the peaceful demonstration.

Marchers voiced their fears of history repeating itself: in 1978 soldiers positioned on rooftops surrounding the town square of Panzos opened fire on a crowd of peaceful protestors, killing at least 53 people. Many of the massacre victims were family members of the men, women, and children participating in this march. The fact that the current administration chose to replicate the same conditions during this protest is an unacceptable and unnecessary tactic, and is an affront to the spirit of the march.

We support the right of each community to decide, through binding popular consultation, the proper use or conservation of its natural resources.

We reject the distortion and abuse of the legal system by powerful economic and political interests with the intent to criminalize and penalize activists, community leaders, and human rights defenders who work for the greater good.

We denounce the malicious and defamatory attacks published in certain mainstream media programs against peasant and indigenous communities involved in the struggle to protect their natural resources against transnational business interests. These unfounded attacks have also been directed at foreign governments and international solidarity organizations that support these movements with funding and accompaniment. Falsely accusing indigenous leaders of being “terrorists” or “enemies of peace and democracy” only serves to foment racism, conflict and violence.

We call for a moratorium on all land evictions until a better mechanism for resolving land disputes is implemented. An impartial, transparent, and thorough investigation into land rights and ownership that goes beyond the mere possession of land titles is indispensable. The moratorium on evictions should remain in place until all governmental policies and actions are brought into full conformity with international human rights obligations. Land evictions must not result, as they have to date, in excessive use of force, homelessness, and further destitution.

We call into question the placement of military troops and installation of military bases in areas where the population has presented organized resistance to extractive mining, biofuel production such as African palm, hydroelectric dams, and other destructive “megaprojects.”

We strongly recommend that the government immediately implement all the processes necessary to resolve land conflicts and address the historic demand for land. The passing of legislation, such as the Integral Rural Development Law (4084) and the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples Law (4047), would be an important step forward in this direction.

The Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA (GHRC) commends the men, women, and children who walked their way into history last week. Although the march has finished, the struggle of peasant and indigenous communities to build a nation that respects human rights and promotes social justice continues. GHRC stands in solidarity with all those who work tirelessly for a better Guatemala.